As the 2021-2022 school year came to an end, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors alike were all ecstatic that the first full year back in school (since the devastating COVID-19 pandemic) had finally come to a close. But unexpectedly, it seemed that the door opened right back up again for the start of the 2022-2023 school year. This was devastating news to both students and teachers who love a lengthy summer break. 

This summer seemed to go by faster than the speed of light. That is in large part due to the schedule change put into place by APS for this school year. Instead of the usual Thursday start, this school year began on Monday, August 1. This new start date came as an unwelcome surprise to most, demonstrated with sighs of annoyance and confusion. This change is unfortunate for many APS teachers, too. Most teachers love their summer breaks just as much as the students do. However, most teachers were forced to cancel or shorten their summer plans to adjust to the new calendar. AP Language teacher D’Andra McPhail is one person who can attest to this. “This summer I was forced to cut a lot of my plans short,” he said. “I worked two jobs, one at Georgia Tech all June, and thus I had no time for myself. But with the extra time off in October, I plan on taking a trip to Vegas.”  

Even though going back to school a week earlier was less than thrilling, one positive to look forward to is the extra days off in October and February. The new schedule can be considered the ultimate give-and-take situation between longer summer or longer breaks. Some teachers prefer this year’s schedule over last year’s. Even though a week-long break in October could be seen as pretty random, the timing of the vacation couldn’t be better for some teachers. Who would want to have an extra week of a scorching hot summer, when you can have a week off in the warm but brisk October? IB PPS and Business Management teacher, Paula Lizcano, was one teacher who was okay with the schedule change. “I like the extra days off in October,” she said. “My family is going to Disney World in Orlando, Florida that week. Going in October means it won’t be nearly as hot nor as crowded.”

So whether or not you say yay or nay to the revised schedule this year, just know that there is a teacher that probably feels the same way you do. Although the school year began a bit earlier than the Dubs may have hoped, this strange schedule change will not hinder a great year!